Artificial Island On The Cards For Renewable Energy Generation

Plans to create an artificial island in the North Sea with the aim of generating affordable, clean electricity have been put forward.

The island would act as an offshore wind hub, allowing cables to link it to a number of north European countries, including Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Dogger Bank, which is known for its shallow sandbar, has been selected as the ideal location because it is relatively central and the shallow waters would make the project possible.

A large offshore wind farm would be created surrounding the artificial island, with thousands of turbines surrounding it. Solar panels would also be installed on the island itself to maximise energy production.

The plans also include an airport and harbour on the island, as well as homes where staff could live.

Technical director at Energinet, one of the companies behind the proposal, Torben Glar Nielsen told the Mirror that there are a number of benefits to the plan.

“Maybe it sounds a bit crazy and science fiction-like, but an island on Dogger Bank could make the wind power of the future a lot cheaper and more effective,” he stated.

The EU has agreed for a consortium between German firm TenneT and Danish company Energinet to move the project forward. The next step is a feasibility study.

With a recent study in the UK showing that the majority of Brits support subsidies for renewable energy there could be support for this idea in the UK too. According to research for the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit, 85 per cent of Brits want wind and solar power to receive subsidies from the government.